Last week I lost a dream villa in Auckland. In the most expensive neighbour in the country. Full renovation to be made to earn around 500k$ with the trade… although this one was for me. Amazing views of the sea and the Auckland Bridge… from the kitchen and dining area. Walking distance to downtown. I just needed to counter offer around 10-15k$ more and I got it. But I was weak. Hesitant. With lots of fears and doubts… Or maybe not that much. On reflection, I have my rules. Minimum discount on...
1 day ago • 1 min read
“We want a PPP… but we don’t want to take any risk.” That scream comes from the public and private sectors alike… And every time I hear that, I already see the coffin. Today’s story is not about a PPP that went wrong. It’s about a PPP that never even made it to the starting line because the government tried to dump so much unmanageable risk on the private sector that the private sector simply said: “Good luck, amigos.” And walked away. Welcome to the Nairobi–Thika Highway PPP attempt (early...
2 days ago • 2 min read
I have a few face-to-face mentees and they have 3 types of problems: You say you became an entrepreneur to be free… but you work more hours than ever.You say you want to help… but you can barely help yourself.You say you’re chasing freedom… but you’ve built your own cage. I’m sure it also sounds familiar to you.And I also know it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of all the bullsh*t promises they sold you:That entrepreneurship would make you free.That you just need more followers.That what...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Helping a transport agency last week, I reviewed the number of people that they would need to manage a project. Coming from the private sector… Coming from PPP projects where every dollar optimized and saved is a dollar for the investors… You can imagine what my feedback was. But there is also a fundamental reason. And it’s not just based on my personal experience, but science. Too many people and you achieve less. It’s like putting 20 painters to paint a room. It won’t end well… They’ll be...
4 days ago • 1 min read
This last week Panama had many holidays. It the Patriots Week or Fiestas de la Patria… let me have some flexibility with the translation. Everything is closed. Everyone is “taken a rest”. But as I often say… growth (in money and personal growth) comes in your free time. While others go to the beach. I optimize my marketing campaigns and answer quickly during the moments that people spend more time on their phones. No judgement here. It’s what it is. We have a few houses to sell there, and...
5 days ago • 1 min read
When you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you lose the touch with the rest of the world. But some marketing emails I have not unsubscribed yet, reminded me this week that winter was coming in the North. Black Friday stuff. Black Friday… In the past, I used Black Friday to buy some Christmas presents… I must admit it. Things have changed. A lot. Just a few news. Not many undesirable emails… I’m just focused on what matters to me. Business (infrastructure & real estate) and family. That’s all....
6 days ago • 1 min read
Most governments say they want world-class infrastructure. But few have the guts to bring in world-class people. But the Ministry of Transport of Quebec did. When they launched the A-30 PPP, they didn’t hide behind local comfort zones. They opened the door. Contractors from Spain. Designers and Independent engineers from the UK… with limited French. The guys that were to remove the snow were not even from Canada… That was not easy in Quebec. Not politically. Not culturally. But it was brave....
7 days ago • 1 min read
Behind my computer I have a painting from Egypt. And this makes me remember how those guys used to work. They built the Great Pyramid of Giza 4,500 years ago.2.3 million stone blocks.Each up to 80 tons.No AI. No BIM. No “collaboration workshops.” Probably a whip, but also vision, discipline, and a leader who didn’t run design sprints. He ordered them. While today we spend months deciding whether to use Slack or Teams, Sharepoint or ACONEX, those guys were aligning tens of thousands of workers...
8 days ago • 1 min read
I was talking yesterday to my real estate agent, and we arrived at the same conclusion. There are so many opportunities out there! Just a question of picking up the right one! But there are so many, that you don’t know what to choose. Exactly that happens in many fields these days. PPPs for example. Agencies launch a new project and they expect companies lining up for the bid. Then… they find the hard way that there is just silence in the room. Zero excitement. Too many projects and agencies...
9 days ago • 1 min read